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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat
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Eric A Longenhagen
1:40
SO yeah, I liked that question, wasn't boring.
Edge O
1:40
Clevinger' s big league debut has been disappointing. Are his chances good to crack the 2017 Tribe rotation out of camp? If not, SP long term, or pen piece?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:41
That rotation has been injury prone so I think there's a good chance he starts next year in the rotation.
Jack C.
1:41
What's the word on Fernando Tatis Jr.? How bad did the White Sox mess up that trade?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:43
He looks really good. Above average bat speed, potential 6 defense at 3B at maturity. Could hit 18+ homers and hit .260 or so. I think the White Sox logic for making the trade was sound, it just didn't work out at all. Padres must've liked Tatis as an amateur (he wasn't high on Kiley's J2 rankings from that year, nor on the ones I did for ESPN) because when he started to impress in Extended I don't recall seeing Padres scouts hanging around to see it. Really just a good scouting job by them, not a White Sox blunder until hindsight is factored in.
Ben
1:43
Is Brandon Woodruff under consideration for top 100 prospect?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:43
Yup. Mid-90s, will show you three above average pitches.
Jeff
1:44
Eric, if the Cubs want to trade Jeimer Candelario and /or Jorge Soler for pitching in the offseason, can you ballpark the type of return? My guess is either basically brings back a top 75-100 type of arm or maybe a guy that's up and has lost some luster, but is still young. Close or no?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:45
I think that's pretty close. Really depends what teams think of Candy's defense. If you think he's even passable at 3B then he's an above average everday player with those bat to ball skills. I don't think that. SOler I'd be all over as a buy-low guy with middle of the order potential. Be glad to give up an arm I felt was overachieving in my system for him.
Jason
1:45
How would you compare Sixto Sanchez to Adonis Medina and Franklyn Kilome?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:47
Sixto is short but has big time present velo/stuff in general. Medina is all physical projection, you can see the stuff (fastball movement, curveball shape) is in there but it doesn't play right now and you hope it does as he gets older. Kilome is everything. Throws hard, curveball bites but you can see more coming as he matures too. Off the top of my head, give them: Kilome, Sixto, Medina.
Fred
1:47
I know it was just one game and probably a few at bats, but what'd you think about Maitan?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:47
Rusty (it was his debut) but good.
1:48
Definitely not a SS, though. More of a body thing than a skills one.
Phil
1:48
Juan Soto just had a hell of a year as a 17 year old. Do you think he pops up on most top 100 lists next year?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:50
Saw Soto the next day and he also looks good but probably not quite top 100 for me. Big body, corner only guy with power. That means he has to hit. He might, but there's more risk in evaluating him than someone who has a similar skill profile but has hit all the way through Hi-A/Double-A like say, a guy like Tyler O'Neill.
EC
1:50
How do guys like Trea Turner up the power in the majors when they never showed it in the minors? Is there any way you can spot these sorts of guys?
Keith Law said, looking back, that he wasn't sure that Trea Turner would hit with wood. What does that mean?
Eric A Longenhagen
1:54
These are really good questions and ones that deserve more thought than I can give them in a chat. I too was worried about Turner hitting for power in pro ball. In college Turner had a very flat swing that only produced loft when he adjusted his lower half. At the time, I did not like guys with a flexed front leg (like Corey Seager and Turner), I preferred the stiff front leg though contact (like Bryce Harper) for biomechanical reasons that are too detailed to get into here.
1:55
But yeah, turns out that there are all sorts of ways to hit for power. With Turner, I really think it's an approach thing. Guys with those kind of wheels are told to slap, put the ball in play. Screw that, hit dingers if you can.
1:56
I also think that we see power spikes from guys who didn't hit for it in the minors because you get better coaching in the Majors and because guys in the Majors are on big league diets and entering their physical prime. Lotta variables there.
Wakawaka
1:56
How does a prospect that reportedly has just "okay" bat speed manage to hit for big-time power? I'm specifically thinking of Austin Riley who has showed a lot of game and raw power, but continues to have skeptics bc of a lack of "premium bat speed". It seems like bat speed would be a prerequisite to hitting for power.
Eric A Longenhagen
1:59
So I agree with you that it's hard to hit for power without good bat speed but there are other aspects of swinging a bat that lead to game power more than just how fast it's going (like loft, the hitter's timing, point of impact on the ball, etc). Also I think it's worth considering mass, right? I don't know for sure but if the 'Force" applied to a baseball is what causes it to travel far and force = mass x accel and accel is bat speed, what's mass? The mass of the bat? Do a hitter's forearms/wrists factor into that? I don't know.
2:00
I also think it's possible to misidentify swing length as poor bat speed. I've done that.
Colby
2:00
Will Kyle Muller emerge as the top pitching prospect for the Braves in 2017?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:00
Proabbly not. He's a good prospect but Allard, Anderson, Fried, Touki...a lot of names to climb over there.
Bob
2:00
Are you going to do anything related to the Rule V draft
Eric A Longenhagen
2:00
Probably not in advance of it but afterward, yes.
Marky Mark
2:01
How do you feel about pitcher stride length? I've heard criticism about Alex Reyes and Aaron Sanchez because of their shorter strides. Do you think this matter/what does this affect?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:04
Long stride: Pros - better extension, probably using the lower half better and generally enabling athleticism throughout the delivery. Cons - can be tougher to maintain if the pitcher isn't a great athlete and can't repeat a more explosive delivery

Short stride: Pros - more downhill plane on the fastball, might aid in getting downward spin on the breaking ball, easier to repeat for those with weak lower halves. Cons - might be tougher for guys to get out over their front sides without that drive off the mound

There are no universal good when it comes to hitting/pitching mechanics. SOme stuff just works for some guys and not others.
Funky Bunch
2:05
What is a head whack? I see it mentioned in many scouting reports. What does it affect?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:05
Pitcher's head violently tosses around during release. It's a sign of high-effort in the delivery and can impacy command if the pitcher isn't seeing the target.
Erik
2:06
Did JP Crawford hurt his prospect status at all this year? He put up respectable numbers, but nothing befitting a top 5 prospect. What would be more affected, his ceiling or his risk?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:06
I think expectations on the bat got a little out of hand because Reading does that, doesn't it? Think this one is more on the media/fans than it is JP.
2:07
Oh and I still think he's a top 15 prospect. I'll take a 6 glove at SS with a patient approach.
Q-Ball
2:08
The Cardinals system appears to be drying up a bit. Is this just a lull, or are they facing a challenge in terms of talent pipeline?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:08
There might be a gap between now and when Delvin Perez, Dylan Carlson, Sierra, etc are ready for prime time but they still have a lot of talent.
Q-Ball
2:09
KBO team? Lots of 80 batflips, no doubt.
Eric A Longenhagen
2:09
Legit asking every one of the coaches there if they've found a legit Korean place here in Phoenix because in 2+ years I have not.
Q-Ball
2:10
Do some clubs have more scouting presence in Asia than others? Who do you feel is particularly active out there? Would you say interest is increasing in Asian players from an IFA standpoint?
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